Definitly not my best workm but I've been sick the last few days, so there you go.
21. Letting Go
They often said he was over-protective, but Ron Weasley had seen and done enough to know that there was plenty in the world to hurt his precious kids. Hermione understood and was protective herself, but he knew he was worse for it than she.
When Rose was a baby, he'd make people wash their hands before holding her, lest a single germ go near his baby.
When she began to toddle, the first time she fell he refused to let her stand for a full week, until Hermione lost patience and told him their daughter needed to learn how to walk.
Once, when she was three, she choked on a pea. It was easily fixed, of course, but peas were never served to his daughter again. She believed she didn't like them.
When she was seven, she fell down the stairs of their home.
He cried, even though she was fine, because he'd never been so scared in his whole life.
----
Rose was excited, Hugo was jealous, Hermione was teary, and Ron was terrified.
A week ago, he'd said to Harry that Rose didn't seem old enough to be going to Hogwarts. Harry had laughed, but Ron was still struggling to believe she was old enough for school.
She was already wearing her new robes, even though he'd told her she didn't need to. She'd fixed him with that look, the one Hermione sometimes gave him, and told him she knew she didn't need to, but she wanted to.
He couldn't argue with that logic.
They walked through the barrier, Hugo clinging to Hermione's hand, though he would have vehemently denied doing so if anyone mentioned it, and Rose's head whipping all around, as though to check for watching muggles.
"But how come they never notice?" She asked Ron. "Someone must see sometimes."
"It's magic." Ron said easily, and Rose smiled.
Hermione was close to tears, her little girl, her first child, going off to school. Ron was almost shaking.
"Ginny's first year at school -" He began in an undertone to his wife, causing Hermione's gaze to whip round to him.
"Shh." She hissed. "Don't even start that. Don't." He nodded, looked away, scanning the crowd for his sister and best friend.
"Our first year -" He started, a few seconds later.
"Voldemort is gone." Hermione whispered fiercely, seizing his wrist, half to comfort him, half to silence him. "She'll be fine. Perfectly safe. You know she will."
"I know." Ron sighed. "OK."
And so he tried not to worry, as Harry, Ginny and the kids joined them, as he teased the children about the houses, as he spotted Draco Malfoy.
He failed.
Ron waited while Hermione hugged their daughter, while Rose exchanged goodbyes with Hugo, before seizing her and hugging her tightly.
"Be careful." He murmured into her hair.
"I always am." She told him. "I'll be OK, dad. Don't worry."
"I'm going to worry." Ron told her with a shrug. "Have fun, alright?"
"Definitly." She nodded, and was grinning when he finally released her. "Will you write?"
"All the time. And you have to write every night."
"Not every night." Hermione interrupted, smiling at them both. "As often as you can. Come on, you better get on the train."
And so Rose climbed on the train, nervous, excited, and turned to wave at her parents. They stood, side by side, arms around each other, in a way that Hugo thought was gross and she thought was sweet.
"I'll miss you." She told them, and then Albus climbed up beside her. It was only then that she noticed all the staring.
The next few months, she decided, were going to be interesting.